There are all sorts of composting containers for sale at garden centers, but why spend money on some prefabricated monster when you can build one out of discarded shipping pallets?

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The thrifty gardeners at ThisGardenIsIllegal needed a way to tame their unruly compost pile. The one they had was sprawling out of control and becoming unmanageable. They decided it was time to build a more suitable container for their compost:

It is time for a change. I need a good size bin to keep my compost in. The compost bin needs to be able to dissuade animals from getting at the food in the compost. The compost bin also has to have ventilation so the compost can get the air and water it needs to break down. And last, and most importantly, it needs to be cheap. That way I can spend more money on plants and flowers in the yard.

The cheap and effective solution they settled on was to use shipping pallets to build a cube-shaped bin. The pallets let air and water get at the compost in all spots, and are extremely cheap to come buy. After that, you only need around $15 worth of hardware parts like hinges and a latch.

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Stop by nearly any shipping depot or big box retailer and ask if you can have a couple damaged pallets for a craft project. A smashed up corner or broken plank won't matter for your compost bin's purposes. Check out the full article below for a step-by-step picture tutorial.